Kid Connects, a program of Mental Health Partners (MHP), is here to support children and their care providers by offering resources, screenings, referrals, and more.
Kid Connects has been providing services to the Boulder and Broomfield region since 1997 in order to improve developmental and mental health outcomes for children, and to increase the capacity of caregivers to respond to the social and emotional needs of young children.
For more information, email us at: kidconnects@mhpcolorado.org
Available services:
Early childhood mental health consultation
Professional development focused on early childhood mental health and growth
Resources to support early learning
Networking with similar caregivers
One-on-one coaching to support the caregiver’s relationship with the child
One-on-one consultation to support challenging behaviors
Developmental screenings
Referrals to outside agencies and partners for additional support
Digital resources
Tier 1
On-site mental health consultation services
Program Consultation
Consultation support for program administration:
- Support regarding staff development and training needs
- Support for classroom practices
- Staff retention strategies
- Consultation with directors and staff to foster a culture that promotes healthy social-emotional development of children and families
- Assist in the development of “at-risk of expulsion” protocol to be used consistently throughout program
Program Consultation
Consultation support for teachers and other staff:
- Help teachers better understand, recognize, and respond to children’s social/emotional needs
- Support for highly effective classroom practices
- Team building with classroom staff
- Conflict resolution between team members
- Observations of your classrooms as a whole, as well as individual children and collaboration with teachers
- Plan with teachers to meet the needs of individual children or groups of children
- Participate in teacher/parent conferences as requested
- Help teachers manage stress/mental health issues in an effort to assist staff to be more emotionally available to children and their families
- Assist in responding to those children at-risk of expulsion according to protocol and the child’s need
- General classroom groups (e.g.: social skills, violence prevention)
Program Consultation
Consultation support for community outreach and referrals to other programs:
- Assist with transitions to other programs
- Assist in connecting with medical home, special education, early intervention and disabilities systems, and referral/linkage to other mental health supports as needed
- Work with child welfare agencies to support reunification or other permanency planning
Program Consultation
Consultation support for classroom level mental health screening:
- Train staff in foundations of and administering screening tool
- Provide interpretive results and assist staff in understanding findings and implementing strategies to promote resiliency and address behavior concerns
Child Specific Consultation
- Work with specific families, including parent meetings, home visits. parent-teacher conferences, teacher-team meetings, and individual guidance regarding specific children (including those children at risk of expulsion)
- Targeted observation and assessment as appropriate
- Individual mental health intervention services for identified children as indicated and with specific consent of parent
- Referrals for further evaluation or other treatment resources for child or family member
Trainings and workshops for staff and families
- Survey staff and parents about the most meaningful topics and design training accordingly
- Provide training opportunities for teachers and parents that include self-reflection as a vehicle for understanding and supporting the work of social and emotional development
- Trainings include both formal presentations and informal learning opportunities regarding specific topics
- Assist teachers in understanding their impact on the healthy emotional development of young children
- Facilitate bringing in outside presenters when needed
Health/Mental Health Integration
- Cross-training at centers/homes presented by health and mental health partners to discuss the interplay of health and mental health on young children
- Support coordination of primary health screenings (hearing, vision, dental, and developmental) and follow-up services provided to all families in partnership with early care setting
- Consultants monitor and utilize findings of both health and mental health screenings in partnership with teachers to assess the child’s behaviors and plan classrooms that provide optimal opportunities for growth and development
Tier 3
Colorado Early Childhood Mental Health
Call support line*: 833-326-4411 (ECMH411)
Visit online: www.mentalhealthstartsearly.com
A resource for early care and education providers, including teachers, parents, and caregivers.
Referrals can be made by parents, providers or community partners for a brief phone or on-site consultation regarding concerning or challenging behavior of children birth through seven years of age. Phone calls will generally be returned within 48 business hours. Contact will be made with the caller and a phone screening will be complete. Calls are reviewed daily for assignment to a consultant for follow up. Providers and community partners calling the support line above will be asked to obtain verbal consent from custodial parent to discuss child or family.
Brief early childhood mental health consultation is available and may consist of:
- Phone screening
- Consultation with the parent(s)
- Observation of child in care setting
- Consultation with teacher/director
- In home consultation and parent and child interaction
- Action plan and referrals/resources
*Note: This is NOT a support line for crisis situations. In those instances, please call or text 988 – or visit our 24/7 Walk-in Crisis Center at 3180 Airport Road, Boulder for in-person support. Visit our Crisis Service page for more info.